Bethany UCC

Reflecting on her days at summer camp, Pastor Rebecca's sermon this week describes the experience of being changed as a result of getting "swept up" in a movement.

In his sermon last week, Pastor Vince introduced our new worship theme of "Act Up" with a sermon describing the ways God calls us to resist creatively.

In his sermon this week, student pastor Xander King shares the call to proclaim abundance against narratives of scarcity.

In his sermon this week, Pastor Vince discusses false sanctuary vs. real sanctuary. He encourages us to embrace the real sanctuary of God's love and care, rather than give in to the false sanctuary of familiarity, despair and anger.

We're focusing on Disability Justice this month at Bethany. In her sermon this week, Pastor Rebecca reflects on the ways churches and communities often ask 'how can you fit into how we do things' rather than asking 'how can we do things in ways that include the most people possible?'

In her last sermon as Bethany student pastor, Kelli Manning delivered a sermon asking: what does sanctuary look like when we are surrounded by the wilderness? Can Sanctuary and Wilderness coexist?

Citing the Potawatomi botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer, student pastor Xander King invites us to consider our church and it's community as verbs rather than nouns, to imagine them as living, changing things.

In her Easter sermon this week, Pastor Rebecca shares how God reveals much more than we could know or imagine on our own.

"This is not a sermon about what you should do but it is a sermon about what can happen. How, without much planning, or even the skills you think you need, you can end up following Jesus just one step at a time. A sermon about what could happen when God speaks through you and you draw the attention of the Empire. So, I guess, it's a warning. That if you give up everything, you'll have nothing left, except the way of love."-Pastor Rebecca

In his sermon this week, Pastor Vince shares the controversial opinion that we aren't required to do all that we can do.

In her sermon this week, Pastor Rebecca preached on releasing control. She cites the poem "Welcoming Prayer" by Mary Mrozowski.

Pastor Vince shared the story of St. Francis' conversion, how he felt compelled to give up even his clothes to show his devotion to God. Vince doesn't think God requires all of that from us, but rather that we be "radically available" should the moment come.

In her sermon this week, Pastor Rebeccas shares the story of a friend asking her to help discard some spooky items. In doing so, she tells a story of loss, change and knowing when to let go.

On our first Sunday of Lent, Kelli explored the theme of less by acknowledging the many hats and labels we wear and inviting us to look underneath them all.

In the first sermon of our "Lent of Less" theme, Pastor Vince leads the congregation in burying our alleluias and delivers a sermon reminding us there are seasons for nuance, and seasons to speak plainly.

As part of our kids centered worship theme for February, Pastor Vince interactively tells the story of the Good Samaritan (with the help of a few props).

In the first sermon of our "Playing With Fire" worship theme, things got messy (in a good way)! Listen to this interactive sermon from Pastor Rebecca, with a little help from the kids in our congregation.

Ok, so maybe Pastor Vince quotes Aristotle a few too many times in this sermon... but by the end, he weaves a tale of hoping even when it feels ridiculous to do so. He reminds us that sometimes, it's actually quite probable that improbable things will happen.

In his sermon this week, Pastor Vince preaches on the connection between grief and imagination, and how they are more intertwined than one might think.

In his sermon this week, Pastor Vince preaches on the powers that be always wanting to narrow our vision of whats possible. He reminds us that God calls us to prophetic imaginations and proposes alternative futures.

Pastor Rebecca delivered a sermon this week focusing on Baptism. She reminds us that Baptism isn't the sign that we're loved, it's the sign that we've always been loved (and so has everyone else).

We were thrilled to have Guest Preacher Virginia Gilbert with us this week! In her sermon, she reminds us that Jesus grew up and was a beloved member of a community, just like us. He had relationships with family, teachers, and a whole host of people who shaped and formed him in love, just as we are formed today.

A very belated Merry Christmas from all of us at Bethany! Give our Christmas Eve sermon (delivered by Pastor Vince) a listen here.

Pastor Rebecca preached on the subject of patterns this week, using the analogy of childbirth and "knowing when it's time to push". Give it a listen!

Touching on the subject of matsutake mushrooms, Pastor Vince's sermon this week preaches on the ways Advent prepares us to live in a precarious world.

Student Pastor Kelli Manning delivered a sermon this week focused on Advent as a time of waiting and expectation, but also a time of breaking news. Focusing on Luke 1:26-45, 56 and the story of Elizabeth and Mary, she asks: how do we show hospitality to one another when news breaks?

In the first sermon of our "Breaking Point" series, Student Pastor Xander King considers Advent as a time just before sunrise. He asks us: how do we find glimpses of God during this dark season, and how we might allow those glimpses to give us hope for the future dawn?

In the last sermon in our "Help, Thanks, Wow" series, Pastor Rebecca centers Psalm 126, one of 15 Psalms meant to be sung by pilgrims on their way up to Jerusalem.

Pastor Vince centers this sermon around the idea that our suffering matters.

In the first sermon of our "Help, Thanks, Wow" worship theme, Pastor Rebecca preaches in response to the collective grief of the moment, reminding us that our help comes from God.

Pastor Vince's sermon this week is all about clouds. In it, he shares that no act of love is ever wasted.

In a dialogue sermon between Pastor Rebecca and Dr. Hannah Carl, the two discuss 1st Corinthians 19 and our relationship between ourselves, our food and the land.

Student Pastor Kelli Manning delivered a sermon this week asking the question: if we the Church are called to be one body, how is that body listening to their physical bodies?

This week, student pastor Xander King reminded us that true safety is not found in locked doors and "sheepdog" mentality. True safety is found when a hug, a meal, a joke, and support is only a knock away.

In the first sermon of our "Safe and Sound" worship theme, Pastor Vince reminds us that we come to church to be cared for by God, not to receive a to-do list.

Pastor Rebecca delivered the final sermon in our "Reboot" series. She preaches on the idea of pausing from the tech that holds us under their spell. What does it take to break that spell?

This week, in alignment with "Pet Blessing Sunday", congregation members shared stories about their beloved pets. We heard stories from Nola Amlin, Vince Amlin, Yasuko Oura, Keith Schnabel, Lilah Soyster and Hannah Carl. We hope you enjoy!

In this week's sermon, Pastor Rebecca shares stories about her time driving Oxen, and preaches on the idea of church as "appropriate technology" (affordable, sustainable, available, locally autonomous). Give it a listen!

Pastor Vince delivered the first sermon in our "Reboot" theme last week! In it, he ponders on God's way of keeping time and how we might know what the given moment is for.

This week, Pastor Vince delivered a sermon for the kids who grew up with a Gameboy. In it, he reminds us that we aren't "doing it wrong" when there are problems.

Pastor Rebecca's sermon this week focuses on the "Good Samaritan". She preaches about building muscles for doing the good work- building the instinct to get involved in messy stuff where folks need us. If we're all equipped, none of us are vulnerable. We hope you enjoy listening!

Pastor Rebecca's sermon this week contained some hard news: unfortunately, God loves even your enemies.

For the first sermon in our unCONVENTIONal series, Pastor Vince preached on the unconventional wisdom of Jesus. Along the way, he discusses how he got converted to baptizing babies.

We had not two, but THREE sermons this week in accordance with our "Versus" theme! Pastor Alaina Hoffman preached for the Holy Spirit, Pastor Izzy Collazo preached for the creator while Pastor Vince Amlin preached for Christ. Who do you think won?!

For the third week of our "Vs." theme, Pastor Vince preached "Cup Of Blessing" while Pastor Rebecca preached "Bread Of Life". The congregation deemed it a tie! Give it a listen to decide on a winner yourself.

In bout 2 of our July "VS." theme, Rev. Vince Amlin gave a sermon on "Faith" while Rev. Rebecca Anderson preached on the subject of "Hope". Decide for yourself who "won" by giving it a listen!

Are you ready to rumble??? Our July sermon series is "VS", a series of preacherly matches in which the beef is fake but the good news is real. Today's podcast is bout 1: Reverend Vince Amlin is preaching "Still Waters" while Reverend Rebecca Anderson is preaching "Green Pastures". Let the games begin!

Pastor Vince gave the final sermon for our "Setting The Table" series" last week, which also coincided with the final day of Pride Month. He asserts that "Jesus' welcome has always been and will always be a Queer welcome, first and foremost to the ones who have been left out, forced out, oppressed and abused by the dominant culture. Whenever you see people being banned, being walled out or simply being ignored, you can be sure the voice of Jesus is calling out 'blessed are you: Trans kids, Venezuelan asylum seekers, Drag Queens... You are somebody, you are mine.'"

Pastor Vince delivers a sermon considering the “hodgepodge” that makes up a church and how we might find strength and value in our differences.

This week, congregation members Dave Scott, Johnny Buranosky, and Mary Ellen Monzella shared some beautiful testimonies about their time at in Biloxi, MS working with the Back Bay Mission. We hope you enjoy!

This week, we started our new series "Setting the Table", a theme centering storytelling and hospitality. Bethany congregation member Ron Romasanta set the table for communion this week and shared a bit of his story, which we've included as part of this week's podcast. We also hear a sermon from Pastor Rebecca on Genesis 18.